John E. Sawyer Seminar Series

Thanks to support from the Mellon Foundation, these seminars will explore how democracy and academic freedom are understood, taught and tested at KU. The John E. Sawyer Seminar Series is a collaboration among the Hall Center for the Humanities, the Center for Democratic Governance, the Kansas Data Consortium within the Institute for Policy & Social Research, and the Provost's Office of Community Impact.

Navigating Academic Freedom and Democracy on a Public University Campus in America’s Heartland

The Sawyer Seminars will bring together researchers at all levels and members of the public to examine the relationship between higher education and democracy, address contemporary challenges to academic freedom, and consider how universities might adapt different pedagogical strategies for generations to come.
A group of people listen to a seminar at the Hall Center

Planned discussions this spring include:

 

Setting the Stage: What is Democracy? What is Academic Freedom?
WED FEB 4, 10:00 -11:30 AM
→ Hall Center Downstairs Seminar Room

The Relevance of the Kalven Report
WED MAR 4, 10:00 -11:30 AM

KU’s Governance Structures and Academic Freedom Policies
WED APR 1, 10:00 -11:30 AM

The Relationship between KU, the Board of Regents, and Local Economies
WED MAY 6, 10:00 -11:30 AM

Additional topics will be explored this fall and through 2027, including:

  • Individual Rights and Academic Freedom: Lessons taken from the Separation of Church & State in Kansas and Campus Dynamics
  • Contemplating Sovereignty and Freedom on Campus, given the Complexities of Past Injustices
  • Faculty Control over Course Content: Addressing Pressure from Policymakers and University-wide Curriculum Decisions
  • Wrestling with Book-Banning and Censorship
  • Teaching Democratic Values at KU – Disappearing Civics Education
  • The Dismantling of Programs with “Low Numbers”
  • Handling Fear of Conflict in College Classrooms in the Heartland
  • Employing Sites of Informal Learning to Address Conflict in the Heartland
  • Concerns about Academic Freedom in Research
  • Recent Protests on Campus